


Verus

by Jdkwinxgrl



Series: Same Story, Different Tale [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, Sharing a Body, character fusion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 15:30:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18876013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jdkwinxgrl/pseuds/Jdkwinxgrl
Summary: Vanitas and Ventus fuse into one being and learn to live with their predicament.(Each work in the series has the same concept, but a different execution)





	Verus

**Author's Note:**

> This is like, a semi-good one. Vanitas is a bit OOC.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but he couldn't fight it anymore.

His body was sore and cold, pinned down by unversed and forced to face Vanitas. All he could hear was an anxious heart was pounding in his ears. He took a deep breath.

"Fine, Vanitas, I will merge with you to form the x-blade." Ventus spoke quietly.

An expression of confusion danced on Vanitas' face, taken aback. He then started laughing, taking it as a joke.

"Don't try to fool me, Ventus. I'm not so pathetic to fall for your tricks." Vanitas said with an all too confident smile. "It's not like you have a say in the matter anyways."

"I... I mean it. If what you're saying is true and you are my darkness, then, there's no point in putting it off." Ventus said sorrowfully, eyes on the ground. "Everyone has to face their darkness one day."

Vanitas was quiet for a moment, lips a thin line. He then slowly smirked, walking closer to Ventus. They were mere inches apart, his darkness growing restless, eager to reclaim the part of Ventus' heart that was originally his, finally bringing to fruition the plan that would gain him the x-blade. He held Ventus' chin, tilting the blonde's face up so he'd be forced to stare into Vanitas' cold, golden eyes.

Ventus gave Vanitas a fierce glare, the raven haired boy remaining not the slightest bit intimidated. On the contrary, he found Ventus' sudden bravery rather humorous.

"Looks like you're not such an idiot after all." Vanitas said.

"I won't run! I'm stronger than you think." Ventus argued, body struggling to move with the Unversed wrapped around. Vanitas shook his head.

"You can't run, not anymore." Vanitas stated.

The unversed slinked away from Ventus, releasing him from their hold, much to his surprise.  
Ventus stood up, stretching his arms a bit. It seemed Vanitas “trusted” him enough to let him free.

But he wasn't. Ventus was fast, but Vanitas was faster.

When Ventus looked up, he saw the boy standing with a rather serious expression, Vanitas with an outstretched hand towards him.

"Join with your better half, Ventus." Vanitas commanded rather than asked.  
Ventus reached out his hand hesitantly. He pursed his lips in last minute contemplation. How did it come to this?

He put his palm in Vanitas', flesh meeting flesh.

"Take me." Ventus said, closing his eyes.

Vanitas snickered, the time finally had come to forge the ultimate weapon.

A rush of his darkness surged forward, his body now amorphous blackness. He saw Ventus' light, so bright and kind, everything he was missing; laid bare before him. It wasn't growling or cowering in fear. It stood, standing still and patient, staring silently at the new and yet familiar invader.

It wasn't light or darkness at that point, just two hearts with a mission, to come together and reunite once more. Vanitas' pain was healed by a balming passion and hatred soothed by a delicate tolerance. Day gave way to night, and night bended to day.

Everything was right in place, as it should be.

_ … _

 

_..... _

 

 _Wh-_  

_ What? _

_ This is strange. _

"Ven!" A female voice called out. The sound of hurried footprints against the ground became louder and louder.

A hand was on his shoulder, shaking him persistently. It was annoying.

"Ven? Ventus! Ven wake up!" The female voice said.

_ Ven… tus?  _

He thought slowly, confused about the string of letters. That name was so irritating why was she calling him that?! Something deep inside him perked up at the words.

"What... What are you doing?" His voice said drowsily. His eyes shifted around for a moment before opening.

"Ven! I'm so glad you're alright, are you-" the woman cut herself off, gasping and eyes widening in shock. She jumped away, summoning her keyblade.

"You're not Ven! Give him back!" The blue haired lady growled.

No, not blue haired lady, _Aqua_.

"Aqua, what are you doing?" He asked, confused.

"That's Master Aqua, to you, Vanitas!" she spat. There was a smug satisfaction inside him that grinned at her words. It was a feeling of victory, of strength; trying to push him to respond to only that name.

His memories slowly started leaking back. Right. Ventus and Vanitas joined together. Vanitas was obviously stronger, so he should've taken over entirely, claiming Ventus' body as his and summoning the x-blade.

_ Although, I'm not completely Vanitas. What happened? _

"Those yellow eyes, they're not Ven's." Aqua said. The being before her paused, frowning as it calculated a response.

_ My body is Ventus' and he's in my mind, too. They’re both here. Ventus and Vanitas. Even if I can’t really remember Vanitas’ memories. _

"You’re right they’re not entirely his." He said slowly, unsure of even his own words.

“Who exactly are you?” Aqua commanded, composure demanding respect. The being before her seemed unsure again.

Hmm, he couldn't say he was Ventus, because of his overwhelming darkness, and due to his light, he couldn't claim to be Vanitas. To bind, to be, that was what it meant to have a name. To truly exist and stand tangibly.

“My name is Verus.” He replied with a small smile. The fusion felt a comfortable tingle go down his spine at the name. It was his own, cementing his existence in the universe.

“Who are you?” Aqua asked again.

Verus’ small smile fell.

“I don’t… know…” Verus answered. He tapped the side of his armour, the protection fading away. His clothing quickly darkened into different shades of brown and black, the unversed symbol appearing on his chest to replace the Eraqus badge. His hands and arms were covered in the same pattern as Vanitas’ had been, the veiny-like pattern confusing him further.

He should be a lot of things. The x-blade should’ve come. It should’ve been forged of their two hearts. Instead, he was there, perhaps preventing its existence.

His hand wobbled up from his side, the other pressed against his face in confusion. Verus struggled to keep his hand from unclenching, knowing Void Gear would spring forth once he did. Vanitas had reached a conclusion, a conclusion he was pouring all his strength into.

If fighting could bring Verus forth, then it might be able to destroy him as well. 

_I’m not letting you summon the x-blade, Vanitas._

Verus struggled to hold his stance, both sides of him seeking different outcomes. Darkness swelled around his feet, Aqua jumping back, keyblade still at the ready.

“Aqua. I’m sor-” Verus struggled to say, body jittery and face scrunched up in pain. Before he could attempt to finish, he fell backwards into a corridor of darkness, the black consuming his eyesight.

* * *

 

Verus hit the floor unceremoniously, back hurting from the impact. After groaning for a bit, his body fluttered, struggling to sit up.

_ It’s not safe in here for me. _

He thought, pushing himself back up to stand on his feet, his survival being the one thing currently on his mind. Immediately, he was frustrated by it. Not the reasoning, which made perfect sense: Vanitas used the dark corridors all the time without harm, but Ventus’ light made him vulnerable. What made him aggravated was the fact he’d have to accommodate this. Vanitas wouldn’t have had to deal with it if he was just in charge; then Ventus’ safety wouldn’t concern him.

Verus felt the light in his chest flutter like a scared butterfly, threatened by the overwhelming amount of darkness in the corridors. Ventus was him just as much as Vanitas was. If one was unsafe, the other was now unsafe by default.

He put a hand to his chest, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. The fear was beginning to set inside him. He couldn’t turn to anyone else for help in this situation. Usually he’d have Aqua or Terra…

No I wouldn’t.

Said a feeling that pushed against the fear, trying to let it turn into contempt. But no matter how much Vanitas hated Ventus’ relationships with others, there was a few he couldn’t erase. Verus gently closed his eyes and felt Ventus’ hope on the edge of the ocean that was his emotions. He pulled it closer to him, the small wave washing away the contempt with the rest of the tide. There was still the fear and the loneliness, but now there was hope too. The hope that maybe Aqua would listen, that maybe things would turn out alright.

Speaking of emotions, he hadn’t summoned any Unversed yet. They weren’t needed, now that he thought about it. Surprisingly, the prevention of these creatures seemed to be something they both agreed on.

“I need to get out of here.” Verus said with a sigh. He needed a world completely lacking in people, a place full of silence. A place where he could just think and not be harmed for purely existing.

And sadly, he knew of one.

* * *

The Land of Departure's silence was not comforting. Everything felt still and empty, too desolate for the fast and restless being. Aqua would probably find him here, if only after a while. It was a dumb hiding place, and he knew he'd have to settle for now.

Verus slowly opened the door, knowing nobody would welcome him. Knowing he wouldn't smell Aqua's cakes when he passed by the kitchen. Knowing Eraqus wouldn't be reading in his study. It was quiet and he struggled with this void.

_ It's not like I have any Vanitas' memories that Ventus wasn't already present to see.  _

From the moment Vanitas recognized he wasn't in complete control, he latched onto his memories, hiding them from Ventus and by definition Verus. He could still feel and think like the ravenet but any reason behind his actions weren't present.

Finally, the blonde reached his room, opening the door with a bit of hesitation. His plan wasn't really a good one, but it was the only one he had.

He opened it the door and embraced his room, leaning against the closed door with a sigh. It hadn't changed since Ventus had last been present. Of course it hadn't. He walked over to the mirror on his dresser, looking at himself for the very first time.

Verus was right in guessing his body hadn't changed, the only difference being the eyes that looked back. Golden and cold. Fierce and unkind. His eyes.

The blonde bit his lip before it slithered free into a full on grin. Laughter erupted from his mouth as he hunched over, one arm leaning on the side of the mirror for support.

It was quite hilarious.

He stumbled backwards, and fell onto floor, the anxiety building up inside of him before spilling out in tears. His eerie laughter kept echoing throughout the halls, his sorrow and confusion trapping his heart in a cage of swords.

It was this sound that sent his vision into a sea of black.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, Ventus felt cold. He was himself again.

The blonde landed onto a stain glass platform quietly, his contact soft and gentle. He knew he wasn't alone, though. The universe wasn't that kind.

"What did you do, Ventus?" Vanitas snarled. The ravenet started to approach the blonde, the two a good distance apart.

"What do you mean? Isn't this what you want? Isn't _he_ what you want, after all the suffering you’ve put me and my friends through?" Ventus snapped back, returning Vanitas' anger with the same strength as he turned to faced his opponent.

"No. I wanted the x-blade. This form of ours is preventing that." Vanitas explained, obviously displeased. It was almost like he was being chained down, that no matter how fast his heart beat, it could never escape his chest.

"Then I guess I succeeded. I can't believe Ver-" before Ventus could finish, there was Vanitas' hand on his mouth, cutting him off.

" _Don't_ say his name." Vanitas commanded, his voice a hiss. He slowly took his hand off Ventus' mouth, the blonde now even more confused.

"Why? I wanted Aqua to know we were being honest with her and like our names, it starts with a V." Ventus explained. Before he could continue further, Vanitas cut him off again.

"I know, I was _you_ when we thought that. I don't hate the name _I_ came up with. Just that names have power. If we acknowledge it by saying its name, it might have more power." Vanitas snapped. Verus was weird in the way that even now he felt a small sense of unity and kinship towards the blonde before him. It was almost like a constant reminder that the person in front of Vanitas was _actually_ him, that they should be together, even if this harmony was the last thing Vanitas’ wanted or needed. What made it worse, however, was that Vanitas didn't entirely hate it. It was still alien and infuriating all the same.

“Whatever. I probably should’ve let Aqua get rid of us, once and for all. That form wasn’t me, as much as it felt like it.” Ventus said, jumping back and away from Vanitas. He went into an attacking stance, Wayward Wind coming to his hand.

“You always made the most dumbest decisions.” Vanitas said, smiling. At last, he’d get to pound Ventus into the ground, get revenge for all the weird feelings Ventus pushed onto him. Maybe forcing Ventus into submission would finally summon the x-blade.

Without hesitation, Vanitas summoned his keyblade and ran forward, a loud clang sounding when the blade made contact with the Stain Glass when Ventus dodged away. Quickly, he gathered himself, darkness gathering into a ball on the tip of the sword before being swung in Ventus’ direction. Ventus dashed forward, missing the confused look on Vanitas’ face when he cartwheeled away.

Vanitas grit his teeth, jumping into the air and sending out strikes of lightning. Ventus didn’t appear to be slightly grazed, however, launching the firaga out at him. The battle continued onwards for a while, the two exchanging blows left and right, Vanitas becoming more apparently frustrated as time dragged on.

It came to be that they were both barely hanging on, Vanitas just managing to knock Ventus’ keyblade from his hand and pin the blonde to the ground underneath his foot. They were both breathing heavily, Ventus barely struggling underneath the black haired boy.

“Why… Why doesn’t it affect you?” Vanitas questioned, his cold stare a force to be reckoned with all on its own.

“What?” Ventus choked out. The boot on his chest pressed down harder, the blonde letting out a gasp of pain.

“My darkness, you idiot! I can’t believe you haven’t noticed.” Vanitas growled in disgust.

Ventus wasn’t catching on.

“Huh?” He replied. It was hard to think with the lack of oxygen reaching his brain.

Vanitas’ face turned down into a scowl. Wordlessly, he summoned a ball of darkness, and swung the energy onto Ventus. He winced, waiting for the impact, but it never came. When he opened his eyes, all he was met with, was a very displeased Vanitas.

“You’re lucky I don’t need darkness to finish you off.” He said in a low snarl. He raised his keyblade slowly, savouring every single second.

“I wonder if it’s because of Verus, then.” Ventus said quietly, vision growing black. A tingling sensation ran down Vanitas’ spine and he froze.

Ventus could barely register the sound of Void Gear clattering as it hit the ground, but welcomed the weight lifting from his chest as Vanitas stumbled off. His vision started to become more clear, almost gagging on the air when he tried to breathe again. To his surprise, his struggle wasn’t the only noise filling the air. Vanitas was hunched over the ground, hands clasped around his neck.

Quickly, Ventus rolled over to his keyblade, casting a cure when he was back on his feet. He walked over to Vanitas, pressing his blade to the back of the hunched over boy’s neck.

“It’s over, Vanitas.” Ventus said, still breathing heavily. Vanitas didn’t respond, jagged gasps escaping his mouth. The breathing started to even out and he let a small chuckle.

“Fine, finish me then.” Vanitas said, a small smile on his lips.

Ventus raised an eyebrow to question his words, before shaking his head. With one swift movement, everything went black.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, the soft colours of Ventus’ bedroom greeted him.

He was Verus again.

Immediately, he tried sitting upright, struggling to sit up in his bed. The sun had moved in the sky, it setting and filling the sky with a mess of blurry rose petals and fluffy orange clouds.

_ Vanitas was right then. Being defeated would just force us both back here. Right back at Stage 1. _

He clenched and unclenched his fists, before raising his hand to start feeling around his neck. The blonde hissed in pain when his fingers touched a particularly sensitive part. There was a mark at the back where he had hit himself. Where Ventus hit him? Where he hit Vanitas?

It still hurt, regardless.

Verus shifted his feet off the bed so he was sitting upright. If not the x-blade, what weapon would come when he called it? As annoying as it was, not summoning the x-blade, he’d need something to do battle with.

Reaching out with his left hand, he summoned Wayward Wind to his palm.

_ Hopefully I won’t fight Aqua, but maybe she can at least trust me if she sees this. _

The thought was distasteful on both sides of his heart. Leveling himself with others? Cowardly. Seeing Aqua again? _Nervousness_ pooled in his stomach with all the negative possibilities.

The weight lifted from his belly and the hair on his head stood up, just _knowing_.

His golden eyes turned and there it was. An unversed.

_ Of course you’d show up. _

Verus jumped up off the bed, eyebrows turned down and lips frowning.

Vanitas had always hated them. When he had first found out about the creatures, he was disgusted with their existence. The fact he couldn’t control them made him even more annoyed. But Xehanort found a use for them, and it was for the x-blade that they finally had purpose. Ventus hated them for that exact reason. All the suffering and terrorizing, for what? A stupid weapon that even now, failed to exist.

Verus growled with contempt. Out of habit, Void Gear was summoned to his free right hand.

“Wait.” Verus said in realization.

He tore his attention away from the creature to his hands, each one holding a different keyblade. Much like Vanitas’ and Ventus’ opposition, the two keyblades felt and held differently, making combat using both at once impossible.

_ Like me, yet here I am.  _

Verus said, frowning once again. Wordlessly, he summoned the Unversed back into his darkness, braced for the small ache that held his heart as he did so. Vanitas had gotten long used to the pain the Unversed brought. It was manageable, using that pain to bring forth more Unversed into the world, a cycle that aided him in his goal. Now, they were an annoying hindrance.

Come to think of it, the darkness couldn’t hurt Ventus earlier.

“Yeah, because of me, Verus.” He said softly, reiterating what Ventus had said earlier. He doubted he was now ‘darkness proof’, rather, it was only Vanitas’ darkness which held no harm over Ventus. His darkness had bonded with Ventus’ light. Ventus’ light would in turn, never impair Vanitas. This pact kept the two forces in harmony.

Verus was pulled from his thoughts when his hands started to feel warm, the keyblades buzzing in his palms. In a flash of white, the two keyblades were gone and a brand new one presented itself for him, floating just above the ground and hovering paitently.

Curious, he wrapped his hand around the handle, the keyblade almost an amalgamation of Wayward wind and Void Gear in appearance. It was light and sharp, the blade sleek and ready to pierce. The weapon sent a not too foreign feeling through him that he’d felt earlier.

When Vanitas had put his hand on Ventus, there was a sense of warmth and familiarity, a tingling sensation in his chest of like responding to like. It was a weird and confusing feeling, but it had felt right. Steady and reliable, this feeling was now embedded into the weapon.

_ Missing Ache.  _

He swung the keyblade, testing it out. It would do for now.

Dismissing his keyblade, he started walking towards the door, pausing beside the mirror. Some part of him wished for him to keep walking, to avoid his own face as much as possible. A contradicting feeling battled against it, needing to come to terms with the form he now possessed. Nervousness was the one clear feeling he could distinguish within him.

So Verus looked, body slowly turning. Gold met gold, unhappy with his own visage.

Weak, pitiful Ventus.

  


_Cruel, callous Vanitas._

Aqua was right. He wouldn’t trust himself either. He hated how he looked, the impulse to just destroy his own reflection by breaking the mirror into a million pieces was tempting. It would be so easy, too. The thought put an uncomfortable aching in his chest, pleading with him to go against the action.

With a sigh, he listened to the plea and turned away from his reflection, the feeling in his chest remaining, albeit weaker.

_ I need some fresh air. _

  


* * *

Everything inside him agreed that this was a breathtaking site. The skies here at the Land of Departure never seemed to disappoint anyone that laid eyes on them, especially at dusk or dawn, when the day and night swerved and melded perfectly before splattering across the wide open sky.

His heart was filled with warmth at the sight, all of his worries melting away. It was just him and this twilight sky. No x-blades, no wars, no kingdom hearts.

Just _peace_.

He closed his eyes, cherishing the feeling.

Too bad it couldn't last.

"Come to enjoy the sights, Aqua?" He asked with a chuckle. His body turned to see the blue haired master standing behind him, keyblade raised. She was angry, face stern.

" _Vanitas_." She said, or what could be called a growl. Ventus hadn’t ever really been on the receiving end of her threats before, the situation making the fusion uncomfortable. With that name, brought back that weird aching feeling from before.

Verus’ smile turned into a frown, leaning on the ledge and crossing his arms. She must've been annoyed he had sensed her. Better yet, she wasn’t even using his name.

"How many worlds did it take before you found me?" Verus asked. "Or did you use your Wayfinder to get you here?"

Aqua's eyes darted to it, free hand moved to her pocket where the charm was. When she looked back to Verus, he had Ventus' Wayfinders out, holding it close to his chest.

"But admitting that would mean I'm actually Ventus. Since, the spell doesn't work unless the Wayfinder is with the proper person." Verus said, smirking. This time, he wouldn’t beg. Begging is what kept the three of them apart. So he took a different approach, one that would let him have _some_ control over the situation.

"You're not Ventus, but I know his heart is inside you. This is your last chance to give up, Vanitas." Aqua said.

"How many times do I need to tell you? I'm _both_ of them. Verus." Verus replied, still annoyed that she’d called him ‘Vanitas’. He couldn’t let this escalate into a fight, but that was probably where this was leading.

Suddenly, he felt a thwack to his head, Mickey having snuck up behind him. Verus had forgotten about the other wielder. He dropped his Wayfinder as he fell to the grass, getting knocked out cold.

* * *

When Ventus woke up this time, it wasn’t as much as a surprise to see Vanitas standing in front of him. Both were equally annoyed that they hadn’t managed to finish the other off.

“Ventus.” Vanitas said, eyes narrowing.

“Vanitas.” Ventus grunted in reply. He moved his head slightly and hissed when he felt the bruise on the back of his neck, hand flying up to the mark. Their bond was getting stronger, if he could call it that. Was hurting Vanitas impossible now without hurting himself?

“What is it Ventus? Don’t like being reminded of your uselessness?” Vanitas snarled, rubbing his own neck.

“Mm. I just, I don’t know what to do. Aqua could be taking us anywhere.” Ventus said softly. A tickling sensation raced down both their backs. Vanitas growled.

“Seriously, what is that?!” Vanitas exclaimed, trying to look over his shoulder, to see nothing behind him, surprise, surprise. There was definitely something triggering it.

“I get what you mean. Thankfully it’s not unpleasant.” Ventus said, pursing his lips together in thought. “Vanitas, I know this is weird, but, could you check the mark on my neck? It feels weird.”

Vanitas paused, raising a suspicious eyebrow at the blonde. He sighed.

“Fine, turn.” Vanitas replied, his face wearing a bored expression. Ventus really hoped he wouldn’t attack him, some part of him knew it wouldn't happen.

He pulled down his collar and let his jacket fall to his shoulders in order to give the mark visibility.

Vanitas chuckled, seeing the mark, putting his other hand over his mouth to hold back the laughter.

"This is rich." Vanitas smirked. He couldn't help himself and reached out his hand to touch the mark. Ventus flinched when his fingers grazed the skin, a warmth flaring up in his chest as if in response to the contact.

Vanitas noticed and pulled his hand back, still finding the situation hilarious.

"What’s so funny?" Ventus asked while pulling up his jacket again. He was put on edge by Vanitas' odd behavior. The blonde rubbed his mark as he turned to face Vanitas, the scar sensitive, but not painful.

"Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't tell you, it’s fun to see you squirm like this." Vanitas said, arms crossed as he smiled smugly.

"I'll know when we fuse back into Verus, so just say it." Ventus said. Another chill down was sent down both their backs, Vanitas barely flinching.

"What did I say about that name?" Vanitas said, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, it can't be the only cause, because we felt it earlier and I didn't say it." Ventus said. There it was again. That strange sensation.

"That feeling really needs to die." Vanitas grumbled, rubbing his neck. "Okay, the mark on your back, it's an _Unversed_ symbol."

"What?" Ventus said, eyes widening.

"I'm not repeating what I said, idiot." Vanitas responded, annoyed.

"Yeah, I heard you. But it doesn't make sense. Clearly, I'm not an unversed." Ventus clarified. Vanitas resisted every urge in his body to not call Ventus an idiot for that remark. He wasn’t stupid, he didn’t need to be told the obvious.

"It makes total sense. It's _my_ symbol, and _my_ death that formed the mark. There's an Unversed mark on my chest, just like the rest of the creatures that have it on their bodies." Vanitas said, rolling his eyes.

Ventus tilted his head and squinted.

"Where?" He asked.

"This _is_ a suit, idiot. I may be a being of complete darkness, but I do still have skin, even if I wasn't born with it." Vanitas explained.

"Right, forgot about that. To be honest, you didn't let me have access to any of your memories." Ventus objected, crossing his arms.

Vanitas frowned, cold eyes penetrating Ventus' depths.

"Don't push it, _Ventus_." Vanitas said, voice ice cold. He was playing it cool for now, but the anger was still apparent.

"Can I at least check if the marks match?" Ventus asked.

Vanitas' gaze lingered for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Touch me and that mark on your neck won't be the only one you'll have to worry about." Vanitas threatened.

"Okay." Ventus nodded in agreement. He bit back the urge to comment on how Vanitas touched him earlier.

Vanitas slowly turned around, and the muscle-like texture on his body started pulsating in front of Ventus. The tendons slithered into Vanitas’ skin and left a bald spot surrounding the area.

When Ventus saw the mark on Vanitas' neck, he was filled with so many questions.

For one, it was the symbol he shared with Aqua and Terra over their hearts, the one that was replaced by an unversed medal while he was Verus. But, the one key difference, was that it was lime green, the colour of his Wayfinder. Just to make sure, he pulled the object out of his pocket and let it dangle beside the mark, never close to touching. With one last check, he put the valued item back away.

“Stop standing around like a fool gapping and tell me already." Vanitas snapped. His tendons shot out of his skin, startling Ventus who’d his hand hovering there. The threads began knitting together to cover his skin, shuffling and tightening.

"Right, okay. It's not an Unversed symbol." Ventus started. The ravenet turned to face Ventus, the blonde trying to explain the mark to the best of his abilities to Vanitas.

"Interesting. It seems we've ended up marking each other. I wonder what Ve-" Vanitas caught himself " ** _his_** mark looks like."

"I guess we'll wake up eventually, huh?" Ventus said with a grimace. Another rush down their spines.

"I think I figured it out." Vanitas said.

"Huh?" Ventus exclaimed, cuing Vanitas to go on.

"I try to isolate myself from _him_ , so I always refer to _him_ as if he was separate, a different being entirely. You've accepted him as yourself so you refer to him as 'we'. Who is to say who's wrong or right, but, the sensation is definitely caused by we or us, or better yet, his name. It's like agreeing with you or whatever." Vanitas said, accepting the tingling sensation running its course down his spine. "That's why I said names were important. You're giving _him_ power."

"Yeah, but we are him. Why beat around the bush? It's my heart as much as it's yours." Ventus said, shrugging. It was a fact. Not a fact he liked, but the truth nonetheless.

"It makes sense, definitely, it would also explain earlier. The weird feeling in our stomach was because we were rejecting that form. It's also why Wayward Wind felt wrong, because it literally damaged me/him. While we both are pretty confident in ourselves, we hate the other person. It's that contradiction that makes him/us feel uneasy." Vanitas explained, the weird feeling in his back going away now that'd he'd figured it out.

"Okay, I think I get it." Ventus said.

"Why am I even explaining this to you?" Vanitas hissed, immediately growing irritated. "If this situation is permanent, then I guess I'll have no choice."

"To do what?" Ventus asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"To give you my memories." Vanitas said, expression serious.

"What?!" Ventus asked.

"The ones from when I was born until now." Vanitas elaborated, bringing his hands up close to Ventus' face. The blonde stepped away from them and Vanitas paused, annoyed.

"Why now?" Ventus asked.

"I want to give us a place to connect." Vanitas said softly. Before Ventus knew it, Vanitas' hands were on the sides of his face, memories flowing between them.

Ventus head hurt immediately, crying out in pain as he tried to tear away from Vanitas' hold. There were too many of them, memories rushing through his vision like technicolour.

"Don't try to look at them or remember them. If you let them settle, it'll be easier to call them up later like they were your own." Vanitas instructed.

"How can I _not_ think of them when you're filling my head with all your thoughts?!" Ventus exclaimed, trying not to lose himself in all the pain.

"Okay, how about Hewey, Dewey and Lewey? The three ducks? It took you _at least_ 35 tries to beat that one puzzle. And after all that, the reward wasn't even worth it, in my opinion." Vanitas said, trying to think of a memory from Ventus' library. All of them looked pretty stupid, so it was hard picking one particularly interesting.

"You got those 3 tickets once. You wanted to bring Terra and Aqua, but then you all split up again. Nothing you did would keep you guys together, you had hoped they'd at least _listen,_ but no matter what you did, you were a doomed failure.You had no one, and were no one." Vanitas explained, struggling to describe the memory. His vision was blurry and he blinked rapidly, resisting the urge to wipe away whatever was irritating him. His cheeks felt weird, eyes sensitive.

"Vanitas, are you okay?" Ventus asked. He seemed genuine, eyes narrowed at the ravenet.

"Yeah why?" Vanitas said confused. His heart was squeezing, creating a tight feeling in his chest.

"You're crying." Ventus observed, balancing between curiosity and concern.

"Huh?" Vanitas blinked. He slowly pulled his fingers away from Ventus, furrowing his eyebrows. He recognized this feeling.

The despair, the helplessness.

He thought he had escaped these feelings when he split from Ventus, and yet here they were, taunting him.

And he hated it. He hated Ventus.

"You're such an idiot." Vanitas spat, wiping his cheeks. He tried to convince himself that these emotions were just Ventus', that they were not his own.

But they were his.

A heart long ago, lonely and unsure, left without light. Just separated from Ventus and lost, disconnected.

"I told him you were an eyesore, that we needed to be separated and I was right. Having me around would've only made your own life miserable, hating yourself and reminded of all your failures." Vanitas said, voice teetering and cracking in some places. Ventus froze, watching the other cry. He saw the memories Vanitas referenced as Vanitas said them, Vanitas' grip on the jacket above his heart tightening.

"Maybe he would've removed you anyways if I hadn't spoken, who knows. He's spoken in many ways since then." Vanitas croaked. Memories of a keyblade slicing into his skin time and time again made Ventus wince.

"Vanitas I didn't know..." Ventus said softly. Vanitas suddenly gripped his shoulders tightly, almost leaning on the blonde.

"Of course you didn't! All my life I've felt your emotions, your love, your happiness, so close, yet so far away. When did I start being jealous instead of treasuring your safety, I don't know." Vanitas gasped. "I'm sorry, Ventus. For Aqua, for Terra, for all the people I hurt; you."

Ventus wrapped his arms around Vanitas, feeling all his emotions strike through his heart clearly. The feelings were genuine, and even if Ventus didn't completely understand, he didn't need to in order to show compassion.

Vanitas was startled by the display of affection, struggling to come to terms with the emotions bubbling up inside him. He didn't know what to do. So he just hugged Ventus back.

"Thank you." Vanitas whispered to the other boy. Ventus smiled softly.

The two boys faded into light, their pieces falling into place. Everything was as it _should_ be.

* * *

Verus' body felt incredibly sound, warmth swelling inside his heart. He felt strangely relaxed and passive, his state probably reflecting the conclusion of the conversation that had just transpired.

His eyes groggily opened, slowly taking in the world around him.

"Are you saying that who has possessed Ventus is not Vanitas, but indeed someone else?" A wise old voice asked.

"I'm not, just that who he refers to himself as is different." A strong female voice answered.

"Hm? Aqua... Yen Sid..." Verus mumbled, voice rising from sleep. His head slowly rose, eyes blinking awake.

"Vanitas!" Aqua gasped. She immediately summoned her keyblade, turning her body from Yen Sid to Verus lying tied up at the back of the room, Mickey following her actions.

"I’m sorry, Vanitas can't take your call right now, _don't_ leave a message after the tone. " Verus snapped. “Don’t call me that.” He felt uncomfortable. Now that they'd accepted each other, it felt unfit singling out one over top.

"Aqua has stated that you go by a different name. To which shall you be called?" Yen Sid asked.

"My name is Verus. Both Ventus and Vanitas dwell within me." He answered calmly.

"What?!" Mickey exclaimed out of surprise. He turned towards Yen Sid, who seemed equally as confused.

"Master Yen Sid, how is this possible?" Mickey asked. Aqua remained unfazed by the news, continuing to scowl at Verus.

"Calm yourself, he has yet to prove as to whether or not he is telling the truth." Yen Sid responded. He turned his head to Verus, staring him in the eye. "What can you say to defend yourself?"

"Well, my eyes for one clearly reflect Vanitas, and..." Verus thought for a moment, holding back a comment about the rest of his body being the obvious testament towards Ventus "Oh yeah! The Wayfinder wouldn't be able to find me if I didn't have Ventus' heart as well."

Aqua quickly turned to rebuttal his excuse.

"It could be merely that his heart is inside him. I don't know the true extent of the charm." Aqua proposed.

"I can summon his keyblade, Aqua can attest to that." Verus brought up. Aqua glared angrily at Verus for a moment before nodding in affirmation at Yen Sid.

"Would you be able to summon it again?" Master Yen Sid asked.

"But then we would have to take away his restraints!" Mickey gasped.

"Probably. But it's fine. I don't want Aqua to have to feel unsafe around us." Verus said, stealing a glance at his sapphire haired friend. She raised an eyebrow, though otherwise, remained unconvinced.

"What can I do to prove myself?" Verus asked with a smirk. He was all too confident he could convince them.

"Can you separate?" Yen Sid questioned.

"What?" Verus' face suddenly went blank, eyes full of dread.

"Is it possible to bring apart the two?" Yen Sid rephrased.

"Well, you could try destroying me, but that might just kill Vanitas and Ventus." Verus said. Aqua and Mickey paled, Yen Sid trying to keep composure.

"You're lying." Aqua said, narrowing her eyes.

"You're right. But if we _did_ tell you the truth, you wouldn't believe me." Verus explained.

"Why would this be?" Master Yen Sid inquired.

"I wouldn't believe me either, honest." Verus said, shrugging his shoulders with a helpless look. "Even now we barely comprehend it."

Aqua dismissed her keyblade, raising an eyebrow. She raised a hand to her chin, balancing it on her elbow as she thought.

"See, there. You keep using 'we' and 'us'. I just don't understand. Why is that?" Aqua asked, shaking her head.

"Aqua. Please." Verus said, voice almost a whine. Aqua was taken aback by the sudden familiarity, it being too much like Ventus for her to be comfortable with.

"What?" Aqua responded, startled.

"I don't want to repeat it again. Even for you." Verus said with a sigh. He seemed more annoyed than angry.

"It may be within your best interests to answer her question, 'Vanitas'." Master Yen Sid declared, his voice heavy in the hearts of those that heard it.

Verus gave him a look, golden eyes burning with irritation. He then leaned up against the wall, giving up.

"I am both Vanitas and Ventus. We work in tandem with each other. At first, we hated this situation, though over time, we learned to deal with it. Now, we don't really mind staying together." Verus explained.

"What?!" Everyone gasped, everyone on alert. They were not expecting this turn of events.

" _Exactly_." Verus said, rolling his eyes. "I _really_ can't summon the x-blade. Vanitas fears for his safety now that his purpose can't be fulfilled. Also, separating us might break Ventus again."

The crack in his tone did not go unnoticed by Aqua, the waiver of tone a misstep in a masterful dance.

"Sticking together like this is the only way to prevent either of us from getting hurt. That's why when I said we couldn't separate, I really meant, we don't _want_ to." Verus explained, tone serious.

"Ven..." Aqua said softly.

Verus looked up at her, golden ember eyes lost and afraid. As much as she saw Vanitas in them, Ventus looked out back at her as well. Forceful determination, with a gentle sincerity.

She could understand that he was afraid, that he feared his own death and demise, that he feared how hopeless his life was turning out to be. She could feel that he was slowly withering away, unable to hold onto anything.

"Okay, I believe you, Verus." Aqua encouraged with a small smile.

As Verus' eyes widened, the other two looked at her bewildered.

"You... You said my name." Verus expressed, completely surprised by the outcome of the events unfolding.

"Master Aqua, what are you proposing?" Master Yen Sid exclaimed, baffled.

"I'm following my heart. And my heart tells me to trust him." Aqua said, standing firm.

Wow. She actually believed us. I was wrong, I'll admit it.

Vanitas thought inside their head.

_I told you, my friends are my power._

Ventus thought back, all too eager to show off his companion. Admittedly, he was feeling a small bit of pride, that his faith in Aqua paid off.

Whatever, I don't remember you saying something ever so cheesy. 

Vanitas thought to him. Ventus laughed in reply.

_You're right. It still is a good line, though._

Ventus thought with a smile.

Humph. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you want more mushy scenes in the form of my different drafts lemmie know.


End file.
